Fragile as a Twig, Pretty as a Lily
by Molly of the Chazin Clan
Summary: A cat used purely for competition sustains a serious accident that changes her life.


The blowdryer runs through my fur, leaving it fluffy and hot. I hate competitions in the summer. You always feel hot and sweaty. If I was a bad cat, my owner would be in shreds. I stare at her with my brown eyes, showing my love for her and for the pink bows that highlight my black fur with brown streaks.

"Anne Marie and her cat Lily are about to perform for the judges!" I bat my eyes at my owner. She winks and leads me forward gently.

The blinding lights don't bother me anymore. I am accustomed because of all of the shows that I have done. When my owner places me in front of the judges, they ooh and aah. I turn my head slowly and then come to look at their faces. I blink at the judges so that they can see my long eyelashes. One almost reaches out to touch me.

I obviously won the beauty part, now I need to pump it up in the talent part.

I stand on my hind legs, and do what I was trained to do. I jump in the air and flip backwards. I land on my feet without a sound. I stand again, and do somersaults. I go on like this. My nimble feet keep me going. The reason that I can do all this is because of my flexible legs. When I am finished, the applause from the judges is deafening. Yeah, I totally won.

The judges hand me my blue ribbon and me and my owner walk home. We get inside and she kisses me atop the head. Then she pats me and promptly leaves the house. But I don't get mad because she does this all the time.

I go and lie near the open window of our house. The breeze feels nice. I roll over on my side, but I forget that the window is open. I go falling out and flying the distance to the ground.

I land on my feet, but now I am stuck outside. At least I am wearing my collar.

Why waste this good chance to explore? I take a few steps forward. The gray, smooth, stone beneath my paws soon turns into a rough black strip that hurts my pads. I cautiously step forward.

I smell something foul that goes down my throat and traps my lungs. I stop in the middle of the strip and gag. I plan to move forward even more to get to the gray, smooth, stone on the other side. But before that happens, a figure that is made of bars crossing each other and a wheel in the front and a wheel in the back comes speeding towards me.

I gasp, but I can't move. The figure sees me, but can't stop. I shut my eyes and hope for the best. A blinding pain brings a yowl to my throat. Then all that I can do is lay there and feel the pain in all four of my legs. I try to stand up, but I only manage to fall and scream louder. Before long, my world is surrounded by blackness.

I wake up on a cool operating table. My whole body feels numb, but I guess that it is a good thing. Numbness distracts me from the pain. I sigh. Then I fall into a sleep filled with catnip and sardines.

A pair of hands are shaking me awake. I lift my head to see my owner. I stand up, happy as ever. The pain almost doesn't make collapse. But I do. She picks me up and gently places me in the cat carrier.

I remember that today we have a show. I look up desperately. My owner must see it in my eyes, because she shakes her head angrily. I look down at my legs. They seem thinner and even more fragile than before. My legs are wrapped up in casts and are spindly. My guess is that I will never do a show again.

We get home, my owner lays me in bed. Then she walks away. She seems to be completely ignoring me. I sigh.

The ignoring has still been going on. Something inside of me has broken. Does she not love me because I can't do shows? It seems like it.

When I can't take the pain of disappointment anymore, I decide to leave. One day when my owner leaves the house, I slip out after her. She walks down the stairs and I follow. It huts my legs, but I make it. I slip outside. To my left is the big city, to my right is the forest. I walk into the forest.

I see the trees first. Tall oak trees that would be perfect for climbing if it weren't for my legs.I can't walk anymore. I find a pile of leaves and fall asleep.

I am woken up by a group of cats. Imagine my shock when I wake up and see them whispering about me. I jolt up. The cats look at my legs. One gasps and says "Oh Starclan. I am so sorry."

I nod my head. "It's okay."

Another cat, probably the leader, blurts out, " Who are you? What's your name? Do you want to join our clan?"

I cock my head. But I reply, "I am Lily. I used to live in a house. But I was hit by something, broke my four legs, and now my owner doesn't want me. I don't know what I clan is, but I love other cats. So yes!"

The leader says, "I am Turtlestar. The leader of Riverclan. This is Woodfur. He is the deputy. And this is Grayfoot, Owlpelt, and Greenclaw. We would love you in Riverclan."

Owlpelt is the cat who said he was sorry about my foot. I smile at them and thank them. They lead me forward. We walk in silence. We cross over a river. I limp and hop on every rock possible. Owlpelt leans against me and keeps me up. I smile.

We walk into a swampy area that is filled with eating, chattering, cats. The whole clan silences when they see me.

Turtlestar walks over to a large tree that has bark like running water. He yowls "All cats old enough to catch fish, gather under the Water Tree." We all walk over. "I am announcing a new apprentice in our clan. She was a kittypet, and is probably old enough to be a Warrior, but I want her to start as an apprentice. I give you Lilypaw."

I look around at all of the cheering cats. Owlpelt nudges me forward. I walk and stare at Turtlestar. "Seeing as you don't know much about the Clan ways, I will be your mentor." The cats cheer louder. Turtlestar leans forward. I take the hint and touch my nose to his.

"Lilypaw! Lilypaw!" The cats cheer. Turtlestar takes his claw and rips off my collar. I gulp. Now my owner will never find me. But what do I care? I am a Clan cat.

I see the cats exiting the clearing. I find that my legs are killing me. I walk over to Owlpelt. "Hey. Where do I sleep?"

"Over there." He points to a cliff that has holes in it. He leads me over to the biggest one. "This is the apprentice den."  
I smile my thanks and he dips his head. "You're gonna be a great Warrior."

"Thank you," I whisper back. Owlpelt touches my muzzle and leaves.

The next few moons, as I am informed they are called, "Moons, not months!" Snaps Turtlestar. The next few moons are filled with battle training that makes my legs stronger, teaching me how to hunt on land, swimming, and fishing. I am okay at battle training. I am an awful hunter on and off land. But I am a great swimmer. My twisted legs provide good scoops for the water.

"All cats old enough to catch fish, gather under the Water Tree!" Turtlestar yowls. "We are joining to see an apprentice become a Warrior. This cat had a long and hard journey with twisted legs and being a kittypet. She has learned the ways of the Clan and has proven that she can fight and hunt. Lilypaw do you promise to follow the Warrior Code and uphold the ways of our Clan?"

"I do," I say. Not to loudly that I come off as arrogant. Not to softly so that no one can hear me.

"Then in the name of Starclan and the help of Riverclan, I pronounce you Lilyfur."

"Lilyfur! Lilyfur!" The clan cheers. Pride soars through me. I look at my change over time. Before I was a kittypet. No more than a show-cat. Then I became crippled. I walked into the forest and was a mere apprentice. Now I am a strong courageous Warrior. I am no longer the fragile Lily. I am now Lilyfur, the brave fighter.

A/N This is a story written for a Warriors challenge forum. I was given a cat and a summery, and I had to write a story on how it became a Clan cat, then a Warrior. I hope that you like this, and please review!

-Shadepaw


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